This invention is directed toward a base for a top object such as a vanity mirror or other small object with enhanced stability and rotational capabilities. The invention is also easy to manufacture, take apart and put back together, and repair as it has only one screw which holds the entire unit together. While designed for a vanity mirror, and number of other items can be mounted on the top of the invention due to its design which includes a threaded opening at its upper portion which can accommodate screw threads from an attached device.
Mirrors have been used by people for over 2,000 years. While mirrors began as handheld items a person would use to look at himself or herself, inventions were made which allowed a user to set the mirror on a cabinet or other flat object so that the user could use both hands to comb hair, brush teeth or perform other acts which are easier to perform with a stable mirror rather than one moving around in a user's hand which the user is doing an action, such as combing hair or brushing teeth, which would cause the mirror to jiggle and prevent a user from getting a good view due to the movement of the mirror.
Over time, users began to realize that having a mirror that would rotate easily would be an improvement over a mirror which merely sat on the surface.
Another problem that plagued vanity mirrors and other small objects that are traditionally used in bathrooms and bedrooms is that they can be unstable due to the constraints of trying to design a product such as a vanity mirror which has a relatively large and heaving top object towering over a base which has to be relatively small for cosmetic means.
The prior art has several examples of attempts to resolve this problem. For example, the concept of using ball bearings to effectuate rotation of an object above a base is not new, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,685,514 and 5,782,451 to Carnahan. These patents, however, do not allow for a stabilizing base weight nor do they teach an attractive, decorative cover to hide the inner workings of the rotational aspect of the invention. The idea of rotating mirrors is also not new. U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,125 to Carter teaches a pivoting blind-side mirror for an automobile or truck. This patent, however, pivots but does not rotate as does the current invention and is for a completely different type of use. Rotating cabinets are also present in the prior, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,258,966 to Grubb, and 4,229,060 and 4,239,311 to Brownlee. These inventions combine a variety of storage devices with a rotating base relying upon ball bearings for the rotation, but none teach the use of a base weight for stability. Examples of jewelry cabinets, which are one of the possible top objects which can be secured to the rotating base taught by this invention can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,702 to Pichowicz and US published application No. 2004/0164034 A1 to Costanza, neither of which teaches a rotating base as does the present invention.
Thus there has existed a long-felt need for a base upon which can be mounted a top object such as a vanity mirror, which is both stable and allows for the top object to be rotated.
The current invention provides just such a solution by having a base for a top object such as a vanity mirror or other small object with enhanced stability and rotational capabilities. The invention is also easy to manufacture, take apart and put back together, and repair as it has only one screw which holds the entire unit together. While designed for a vanity mirror, and number of other items can be mounted on the top of the invention due to its design which includes a threaded opening at its upper portion which can accommodate screw threads from an attached device.